Publications
USGS research activities relevant to Alaska have yielded more than 9400 historical publications. This page features some of the most recent newsworthy research findings.
Filter Total Items: 3067
Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes
As the northern high-latitude permafrost zone experiences accelerated warming, permafrost has become vulnerable to widespread thaw. Simultaneously, wildfire activity across northern boreal forest and Arctic/subarctic tundra regions impacts permafrost stability through the combustion of insulating organic matter, vegetation, and post-fire changes in albedo. Efforts to synthesis the...
Authors
Anna Talucci, Michael M. Loranty, Jean E. Holloway, Brendan Rogers, Heather Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J.F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas Douglas, Gerald Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca Hewitt, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorenson, Mark Lara, Rachel Loehman, Michelle Mack, Kristen Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan O’Donnell, David Olefeldt, Alison K. Paulson, Adrian V. Rocha, Lisa B. Saperstein, T.A. Shestakova, Seeta Sistla, Oleg Sizov, Andrey Soromotin, Merritt R. Turetksy, Sander Veraverbeke, Michelle Walvoord
Observing northern high-latitude river systems to understand changes in a warming Arctic Observing northern high-latitude river systems to understand changes in a warming Arctic
Purpose of ReviewStreams and rivers are undergoing rapid change as the Arctic warms and thaws. We review recent observations in Arctic stream systems to identify ubiquitous changes and the most useful tools for observing change and exploring the underlying processes.Recent FindingsRecent literature indicates increasingly significant trends in river hydrology and chemistry due to...
Authors
Joshua Koch, J. O’Donnell
Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022 Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022
BackgroundFire radiative power (FRP) shows promise as a diagnostic and predictive indicator of fire behavior and post-fire effects in Alaska, USA.AimsTo investigate relationships between FRP, vegetation functional groups, and environmental settings in Alaska (2003–2022) under various fire history conditions.MethodsWe tested for distinctness of MODIS FRP distributions associated with...
Authors
Jessica J. Walker, Rachel Loehman, Britt Smith, Christopher Soulard
USGS critical minerals review USGS critical minerals review
No abstract available.
Authors
Graham Lederer, James Jones, Darcy McPhee, Patricia J Loferski, Robert Seal, Paul Bedrosian, Patricia Macqueen, V. Grauch, Federico Solano, Joshua Rosera, David Pineault
Alaskan hydrology in transition: Changing precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns are projected to reshape seasonal streamflow and water temperature by midcentury (2035-2064) Alaskan hydrology in transition: Changing precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns are projected to reshape seasonal streamflow and water temperature by midcentury (2035-2064)
High spatial and temporal resolution models are essential for understanding future climate impacts and developing effective climate resilience plans. However, existing regional and global river models often lack the resolution needed to accurately capture local conditions. This study uses a series of high-resolution models, including the Regional Arctic System Model, mizuRoute, and the...
Authors
D Blaskey, Yifan Cheng, A. Newman, Joshua Koch, M Goseff, K Musselman
Increased flood exposure in the Pacific Northwest following earthquake-driven subsidence and sea-level rise Increased flood exposure in the Pacific Northwest following earthquake-driven subsidence and sea-level rise
Climate-driven sea-level rise is increasing the frequency of coastal flooding worldwide, exacerbated locally by factors like land subsidence from groundwater and resource extraction. However, a process rarely considered in future sea-level rise scenarios is sudden (over minutes) land subsidence associated with great (>M8) earthquakes, which can exceed 1 m. Along the Washington, Oregon...
Authors
Tina Dura, William Chilton, David Small, Andra Garner, Andrea Hawkes, Diego Melgar, Simon Engelhart, Lydia Staisch, Robert C. Witter, Alan Nelson, Harvey Kelsey, Jonathan Allan, David Bruce, Jessica DePaolis, Mike Priddy, Richard Briggs, Robert Weiss, SeanPaul La Selle, Michael Willis, Benjamin Horton
Automated snow cover detection on mountain glaciers usingspaceborne imagery and machine learning Automated snow cover detection on mountain glaciers usingspaceborne imagery and machine learning
Tracking the extent of seasonal snow on glaciers over time is critical for assessing glacier vulnerability and the response of glacierized watersheds to climate change. Existing snow cover products do not reliably distinguish seasonal snow from glacier ice and firn, preventing their use for glacier snow cover detection. Despite previous efforts to classify glacier surface facies using...
Authors
Rainey Aberle, Ellyn Enderlin, Shad O'Neel, Caitlyn Florentine, Louis C. Sass, Adam Dickson, Hans-Peter Marshall, Alejandro Flores
Equilibrium line altitudes, accumulation areas, and the vulnerability of glaciers in Alaska Equilibrium line altitudes, accumulation areas, and the vulnerability of glaciers in Alaska
The accumulation area ratio (AAR) of a glacier reflects its current state of equilibrium, or disequilibrium, with climate and its vulnerability to future climate change. Here, we present an inventory of glacier-specific annual accumulation areas and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) for over 3000 glaciers in Alaska and northwest Canada (88% of the regional glacier area) from 2018 to 2022...
Authors
Lucas Zeller, Daniel McGrath, Louis C. Sass, Caitlyn Florentine, Jacob Downs
Streamflow response to glacier mass loss varies with basin precipitation across Alaska Streamflow response to glacier mass loss varies with basin precipitation across Alaska
Diminishing glaciers affect streamflow, and given the extent of glaciers in Alaska and adjacent Canada, continued glacier mass loss is likely to have profound effects on ecosystems sensitive to runoff. The effects of glacier mass loss on streamflow are likely to vary across the wide ranges of basin size, glacier cover, and precipitation in this region. In this study, we use U.S...
Authors
Janet Curran, Brianna Rick, Jeremy Littell, Louis C. Sass
Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database
Critical minerals are commodities essential to modern industrial and strategic technologies and are highly vulnerable to supply chain disruption. The Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI) is a collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geological Survey of Canada, and Geoscience Australia that aims to deepen global understanding of where critical minerals are...
Authors
George Case, Garth Graham, Christopher Lawley, Evgeniy Bastrakov, David Huston, Albert Hofstra, Vladimir Lisitsin, Steph Hawkins, Bronwen Wang
Reconstruction of Holocene and Last Interglacial vegetation dynamics and wildfire activity in Southern Siberia Reconstruction of Holocene and Last Interglacial vegetation dynamics and wildfire activity in Southern Siberia
Wildfires are a rapidly increasing threat to boreal forests. While our understanding of the drivers behind wildfires and their environmental impact is growing, it is mostly limited to the observational period. Here we focus on the boreal forests of southern Siberia and exploit a U–Th-dated stalagmite from Botovskaya Cave, located in the upper Lena region of southern Siberia, to document...
Authors
Jade Margerum, Julia Homann, Stuart Umbo, Gernot Nehrke, Thorsten Hoffmann, Anton Vaks, Aleksandr Kononov, Alexander Osintsev, Alena Maria Giesche, Andrew Mason, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Gideon M. Henderson, Ola Kwiecien, Sebastian F.M. Breitenbach
A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments
Given the rise in anthropogenic, environmental, and disease events contributing to marine bird mortality, there is a critical need to improve the rigor of mortality assessments. Deficits in data collection and mortality estimation can hinder a manager’s ability to document event scales and inform population level impacts. Therefore, to inform decisions required during activities such as...
Authors
Johanna Alexandra Harvey, Andrew Ramey, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Gregory Robertson, Marc Romano, Jennifer Mullinax, Megan Boldenow, Philip W. Atkinson, Diann Prosser